Close Wizardry
by McKenzie Duff
Summary: Updated, finally, but only with a closure. Can't finish the fic. Please see last chapter for details. Thank you for your support!
1. The Problem

This story takes place just after The Wizard's Dilemma. Yes, whirling disease is real, and it is destroying thousands of cutthroat and rainbow trout. There is indeed a hatchery in Kamas, Utah, one that, in fact, releases rainbows (who have breeding troubles anyway) and cutthroat into the wild.

**Updates:** see below  
  
standard disclaimerI don't own Nita, Kit, any part of the Young Wizards series (darnit!), and I don't own Winnie-the-Pooh (double darnit.), and I certainly don't own whirling disease (wouldn't that be interesting), so don't sue me? I'm broke as it is. I write this out of love for Diane Duane's wonderful work. *suck up suck up suck up* /standard disclaimer  
  
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Close Wizardry  
by McKenzie Duff  
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"That's not a spell."  
"Sure it is."  
Nita Callahan sighed exasperatedly, turning back to her Biology homework. Her best friend and partner in wizardry, Kit Rodrigez, was supposed to be merging her ground work with his, creating one basic framework for the new spell they were writing, one which, when completed, would help stop whirling disease in brook trout. However, while Nita was trying to memorize the different types of spores in plants, Kit appeared to be doing something else entirely, as they sat back to back in the middle of Utah.  
She craned her neck to glance into Kit's spiral notebook again.  
"That's not a spell."  
"Sure it is."  
"No, it's not... it's not even in the Speech." The Speech was the language that governed the core of wizardry, and the makeup of everything possible. "In fact," Nita continued, "if I didn't know better, I'd say that was HTML."  
Kit bit his lip. "Well, I actually finished the spell about ten minutes ago. You looked like you needed to work on that Biology for a bit, so I just started in on next week's computer homework."  
Nita punched him lightly in the arm. "Kit, we could have been finishing this!" She shut her book and stuffed it into her claudication, the pocket of timespace where she kept her wizardry equipment and the occasional heavy schoolbook. "Every moment we wait, more fish die, the Lone One gains ground, and another fisherman gets very disgruntled."  
Kit pulled out the finished framework, putting his homework into his own claudication and resisting a sigh. _But I like spending time with you when we're not saving the universe. And are brook trout really an endangered species?_ Too late he remembered to shield his thoughts from his partner. Occasionally, thoughts leaked over to where they could overhear each other...  
Nita patted Kit's knee absently, looking over his work, murmuring, "Not _yet_, but they're getting there."  
He smiled, relieved she hadn't overheard his other thought.  
"And we'll hang out after some more progress on the current problem. Ice cream, my treat."  
Or not. "I'm sorry, Nita. I didn't mean to whine. I know how important this wizardry is."  
"Yeah," she replied, turning a page. "But so is our relationship."  
His heart leapt a little at that last word.  
"Your friendship is really important to me, Kit. I don't know what I'd do without you."  
Kit nodded, rubbing the kinks out of her shoulder in return. Nita had changed somewhat, and this was only one way she had. After her mother's diagnoses of cancer, and the wizardry that could only buy her more time, Nita made sure her family and friends knew just how much they meant to her. She now refused to take anything for granted, especially a friendship that had seem rocky times just beforehand.  
"Okay, this looks pretty good, Kit. We can probably substitute some from that spell I used... on Mom..." Those words stuck in her throat... but her mother was okay now... plenty of people lived full lives in "remission". She went on, "Versus the pollution spell you used with S'reee, since these stupid things reproduce."  
"Mm... but these guys will be just like the viruses. The _are_ life, therefore they have a right to be here too, according to them."  
"Parasites are always so difficult," Nita agreed. "Do they have any other possible habitat? Is there any way to alter where they spawn those evil spores of theirs?" Nita really didn't know much about the disease, except that it was bacterial based, and the primary hosts of the parasites were the tubifex worms, which then were ingested by the secondary host, the fish, who would then swim erratically, hence the name "whirling disease". Cutthroat and rainbow trout seemed to be particularly affected. Or at least, as far as Nita, Kit, and the scientists at the fish hatcheries could tell.  
"Not sure. You know more about this than I," Kit admitted. It had been Nita who came up with the project in the first place, or rather, Nita's father, an avid fisherman. Carl and Tom, the two Senior wizards presiding over Nita and Kit's region, and owners of a small fleet of some very wordy koi, were more than happy to authorize the assignment.  
Nita looked worried. "Well, I'm not sure about the life cycle of these worms, other than what the diagram on the brochure from the fish hatchery in Kamas said." She rubbed her forehead. "Do you have a whole lot of homework?"  
"No, I finished this week's, last weekend. I think most of my teachers are debating giving me the whole year's assignments to stop me asking for them ahead of time. Why?"  
She slapped down the brief annoyance at Kit breezing through classes she wasn't finding perfectly easy. "Because the 3rd period English class and the 6th period Biology class just had a bomb of homework dropped on them. Apparently our teachers don't care about giving us a reasonable amount of work, because that would mean actual communication with each other to make sure we didn't have to read three extra books at the same time." Kit, having always been ahead of his grade, was in completely different classes than she, and it appeared that his teachers didn't assign as much "busy work" as Nita's. "So I'm not going to have any time to research this for a while..."  
"No problem," Kit said. "You look like you could use a break."  
Nita slumped to the ground. "You have no idea."  
Kit fought the urge to brush back her hair and hold her. He made sure to shield his thoughts this instance. _Plenty of time for that some other time, Kit,_ he reminded himself. _Besides, it's probably one-sided, anyway.  
_ Nita narrowed her eyes, but said nothing.  
Kit took back his notebook and his wizard's manual, now displaying Nita's "reproducing-trash buster" spell, and began plugging sections into the framework of the new spell.  
"Hey," Nita interrupted after half an hour.  
Kit looked up. Nita was holding something out to him. A box, covered in Winnie-the-Pooh wrapping paper. "What's this?"  
"Happy Birthday," she answered, dragging herself up to hug him. "You seemed like a Winnie-the-Pooh sort of guy." _Huggable,_ she thought, and blushed.  
Kit ripped the wrapping paper apart, carefully putting the trash into timespace, and stared blankly at what he found. "Powers," he whispered. To the naked eye, he held a hemp necklace, thirty or so beads in navy blue separated by knots of rope, with a brad snap at the back for easily putting it on and taking it off. It looked quite like the necklaces many boys wore at their school, except for the magic inside of it. It was a spell necklace, much like the charm bracelet Nita wore. She'd spent countless hours making hers to store spells when her manual wasn't handy, such as during her battle with her mother's cancer. It must have taken just as long, if not longer, to create this one.  
"You can put spells in the beads, and give them a symbol, like my charms," she explained. "You just have to plug your name into the end, there."  
Kit understood why Nita hadn't done this already--a wizard's name defined who they were, right down to their experiences and relationships with family and friends. A mistake in the name was a mistake in that person--which is why the task of setting up the name was left to the wizard it defined. He cautiously muttered his name in the Speech, drawing it out and hooking it onto the end of the spell necklace. The whole thing flared to life briefly, proof of its validity.  
He held the necklace silently, unable to speak. For her to have spent so much time and energy on him... what did one say? He put it on, running his fingers across it, startled by a warm tingling sensation, one that possibly signified the spell working. "Neets," he started, voice cracking with emotion. "I..." At a loss for words, he reached out and grabbed Nita, pulling her into a rough embrace. _Thank you..._ he sent to her mentally, augmenting it with feelings of warmth and joy.  
She smiled and hugged him tightly. "I hoped you would like it. I didn't know which Matchbox Twenty CD you didn't have, so..."  
"Carmela gave it to me this morning: Mad Season. But this," his voice cracked again, "is the best gift anyone has _ever_ given me."   
"I'll take it back if we don't get more of this spell done today," Nita mock-threatened.  
Kit groaned halfheartedly, and opened his notebook yet again, touching his new necklace affectionately. "Aye, aye, Cap'n Hook."  
  
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That's it for Chapter 1! Hope you like! Please review if you enjoyed it, so I know whether or not to continue.  
- MKD

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8.5.02: Fixed some typos, etc. I've already started on Chapter 2, but I want to see ** at least** 15 reviews before I post it. So far, we've got ten, and I'm so excited. Thanks alot to everyone who reviewed! Luv you lots!  
  
8.9.02: Okay, so I didn't quite get _everything_ correct about Whirling disease. But I wrote this at 3 AM, and my dad was asleep, so I couldn't pick his brain (which is what I'm doing now). So you might wanna reread the part about the tubifex (not spindel) worms if you're interested. ^_^V Sorry about that! And I've finished Chapter 2... I need three more reviews, guys! *begs*


	2. Release

GAHHH!!! Okay, updated this chapter, so I fixed some mistakes, thanks SOOOO much to Wonder Jenny (I'd e-mail you thanking you, but you didn't leave an e-mail ^^;). I don't have ANY of the books (besides TWD) with me, and it's been half a year since the last time I re-read them and packed them away for safekeeping, so thanks so much, and I apologize for the mistakes. I promise if I had the books with me, this would be better. Thanks again, Jen! *gives Jen ice cream* ^_~  
  
At any rate, I have a plane to catch, so just this quick update, PLEASE read and review. I've already got chapter 3 written, and part of 4 (though I don't like it, so I might rewrite), so review review review! Thanks! 3 

standard disclaimer I don't own any of the characters portrayed in this story, except possibly one or two of the extras (for instance, the fishermen and the hatchery staff?), and I don't own anything remotely related to the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane. I respect and love her work and have heard it said that imitation is the highest form of flattery, so here you go. Whirling disease isn't mine, either, that's God's hard-work (and the British--yarr!). If the related parties still decide to sue me... aw, crap. /standard disclaimer

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"Bowl of mint chocolate chip, and a scoop of vanilla in a cone, please."  
Kit rolled his eyes at his partner. "You're so boring."  
"What?" Nita gaped, paying the attendant.  
"Nevermind," Kit smirked, stalking off to find a table. _Vanilla? C'mon, Neets.  
What? A lot of people like vanilla, or they wouldn't sell it everywhere, would they? _Nita "said" defensively.  
Kit rolled his eyes. _A lot of _boring _people.  
That's not very nice._ Nita scooped up some ice cream and dabbed it on Kit's nose.  
Kit grinned, wiping it off with his napkin. _I'm only teasing, Neets. You're far from b---  
_"Well, if it isn't WAH-Neeta and her little boy-toy! Aw, and they're on a little _date_!" Vicious laughter erupted from the gang of boys now clustered around their table.  
Kit glared furiously into his ice cream, slowly going over the Wizard's Oath in his mind to keep from doing something he would regret. _I will fight to preserve what grows and lives well in it's own way; I will not change any creature unless its growth and life, or that of the system of which it is part, are threatened...  
_ Nita stood up. Enough was far more than enough. _I don't _need_ wizardry for this._ The leader of the troop, Ricky Chan, sneered at her, drawing himself up to his full height. He had picked on her since over a year ago, merely because she found solace in books when others scorned her, and thus was better in her classes than he. She stared fiercely at him, undaunted. "Look, you pathetic excuse for a human being. I am sick and tired of your tragic attempts to build yourself up by lowering the overall standard of others with your cheap tricks and cowardly remarks. Just because you feel incompetent, it does not give you the divine right to make everyone around you completely miserable. My mother is _dying_," she choked, desperate to maintain her composure. "I am going to have to go to my _mother's_ funeral. It won't be long, probably less than a year. In addition, you are making me out to be a harlot and a slut, assuming I'm obviously sleeping with my best friend, who, thanks to you badmouthing me, happens to be my only friend. But that's not a problem. Kit's worth thirty-thousand of you selfish conformists and then some, any day. So do me a simple little favor and find someone else to torment, since you're apparently too weak to deal with your problems any other way..." she leaned in close to him, hissing, dangerously low, "Before... I... SNAP."  
Ricky just watched her with a nervous look, flushed with embarrassment and humiliation.  
"C'mon, Kit," she said calmly, pushing him towards the door. "Have a nice life, Mr. Popular."  
As soon as Nita was out the door, she began to run, trying to get the tension out of her system and stave off the tears that were creeping down her cheeks. Kit raced after her, taciturn, until she finally stopped to gaze wonderingly at the fireflies appearing in the evening sky.  
Kit, unable to contain himself any longer, let out a whoop and burst into excited laughter, grabbing Nita's hands and dancing around her. "Neets, that was _fantastic_! Did you _see_ the look on his face? Well, of course you did, you were standing right there, but he was totally _speechless_! I've been dying to do that for so _long_, and we didn't have to use wizardry or anything!" He fell on the round, grinning madly.  
Nita looked idly at the fireflies, singing their song to welcome the night. "Kit?"  
"Yeah?"  
Those fireflies looked uncomfortably familiar. "Do you ever miss... Fred?"  
Kit was silent for a long time before answering. "Every day." He turned to look at her, leaning on one elbow. "Not a single day goes by that I don't miss him, and love and hate him for his sacrifice. Love him for making it, hate him for... leaving." He watched her intently, carefully picking his next words. "Do you ever miss Ed?"  
She nodded. "Of course. I was afraid of him, but I do think, even if only for the briefest of moments, we were friends." _Aren't we a funny pair?_ the Great White had said once, gliding ghost-like through the ocean depths. _You, young and never-loving, I, old and never loved..._ And how her heart had ached at those words, how she had longed to be able to take from him the burden of his destiny... and how he had freed her from her own. How he had given her a new life, a promise of something wonderful in the next. She had joked with her mother about the hazards of wizardry, being almost eaten by the shark, but she would never have changed those events for anything. She realized with a shiver that, had she accepted the choice the Lone One had given her, to give up her wizardry and save her mother, she would have forgotten completely about Ed, and the things he had taught her about herself. And she eventually would have lost Kit as well...  
Nothing about the Lone One, the rogue Power that created death and entropy, even came out alright in the end. She knew this now. And watching those fireflies, and seeing that little ball of light that helped her through her Ordeal, Bob... those experiences had shaped her, had made her into who she was, and had she given up her powers, her place in the big scheme of things... she would only be half of what she was.  
A hand on her shoulder brought her out of her trance. Kit. She hadn't even noticed him getting up... "It's late," he murmured, his voice, getting deeper these days, was already able to send vibrations down her bones. "Maybe we should head back to your house? No school tomorrow, but the folks will want to know where we are, eh?"  
She looked down to hide her blush. "Yeah, that'd be good." She reached for the transit spell to take them...  
Kit grabbed her hand to stop her. "Let's go the old-fashioned way. It's not far." 

  
Kit went over the items of the Whirling-Disease-spell in his head to keep from staring at Nita's hand. The more he stared at it, the more he had to fight to keep from taking it in his. She was a _friend_, nothing more than a _friend_, she always wanted to remain a_ friend_, he had to keep her as a _friend_... what if he didn't want her to be just a friend? No! She was a _friend_!!--Converting everything to Scientific Notation with logarithms would shorten the spell, make it more compact--Her hand was so pretty, so graceful... he'd never noticed before... her thumbnail was shorter than the rest, thinner, she tended to nibble on it when she was concentrating...--Logarithms! For God's sake, _logarithms_!!  
Nita focused on the ground, ignoring the buzzing noise from Kit's thoughts invading her own. Kit must really be frustrated about something... She was tempted to ask what it was... but he would tell her if he wanted to...  
Kit began to walk faster, stretching out his legs, longer now than ever before. He was finally catching up to those around him in height and build, being level with the guys in his school, and not just taller than the girls. To at last be normal... well, he'd never really been _normal_. But at least he wouldn't have to endure any more jokes about his height (or lack thereof). And maybe... if he were even taller... Nita might just...   
He shook his head, walking even faster.  
"Jeez, Kit, wait up!" Nita panted, jogging to keep up. She hadn't really noticed before... Kit was much taller than she'd realized. He was growing faster than she'd imagined. She couldn't be getting shorter, was she? Of course not...  
Kit stomped up the front steps, through the hall, and into the kitchen, slumping down in a chair and burying his head in his arms on the table to hide his embarrassment and disappointment in himself. Nita came up behind him, worriedly reaching out to touch him but stopping just short. Where had this invisible barrier come from? This awkwardness? She had only wanted to avoid losing the closeness of their friendship by keeping it a friendship alone... but perhaps denying what was forming was the wrong answer. It seemed as though ignoring her feelings, and possibly his, was only creating a strange discomfiture instead of preventing one. "Kit?" she asked cautiously, putting a hand on his shoulder.  
He pulled away as if he'd been burned, and immediately felt awful as Nita fidgeted with her bracelet, hurt. "I... I'm fine. Really." An outright lie. But he wasn't speaking in the Speech. Lying wasn't deadly in plain English, it was necessary.  
"No you aren't," Nita sighed, rifling through the fridge. "Tell me what's wrong, please, Kit."  
"I... I really..." Kit tripped over his words, almost hoping to stumble on something believable, but without the energy to make something up. "I really had fun tonight." This, at least, was the truth. "I always have fun when I'm with you," he smiled weakly. "But I just... I feel like... I'm letting you down." There. It was out. That wasn't the only problem, but it was certainly a starter.  
Nita stood up, almost dropping the pitcher of lemonade she held. _Letting me down?_ "How could you possibly be letting me down?"  
Kit stretched. "I don't know. It just feels that way. Like I could be doing more to help you."  
Nita set a glass in front of him. "Kit, you're doing so much already. I can't imagine anything else you could do... I'm holding up, Kit. Really. Tonight was a victory; things will get better." _I hope.  
_ "I guess." Kit waved off the lemonade, standing. "I'd better go. Listen, just... don't be afraid of telling me when something's wrong. I promise, no matter what it is, I'm always here for you, and I won't ever judge you. I..." _Love you. I love you. Just say it, it's true, isn't it? It's... real. But it's hopeless, too. And it's complicated. And the last thing Neets needs is more complication in her life._ He scooped her up into a tight hug. _I wish I had the courage to do more!_ he sighed mentally. "See you tomorrow? Come by for breakfast--Carmela's cooking for once, and she wants you to try it, too. Not sure how great it'll be... probably something involving chopsticks, huh?" he joked. "Thanks again for an awesome birthday."  
Nita nodded, blushing.   
"Bye," Kit breathed, wincing at the slight pain in his heart as he stepped outside, checked that the coast was clear, and pulled the edge of the transit spell to take him home. 

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Well, this is as good as it gets (given that I don't have the other books with me to reference from). I actually blew up at a guy a little while ago, just like Nita, only I went on to tell him that he'd never amount to anything and he'd be in a minimum-wage job and I'd be a best-selling novelist (yes, more wishful thinking). I didn't really think Nita would go _that_ far... in fact, I was just ticked at him in general for messing with my head. ^^;;; Yeah, it's complicated. Much like poor Kit's overworked brain.  
At any rate, another chapter is up, so I want at LEAST another 15 reviews on it before I do the next chapter. This chapter was full of N/K fluff (for all you fluff-lovers, just like meeee), but there IS a plot. I promise. I just have to remember where I was going with it. Eheh... Oh, and I figured that at least by _now_ Kit has to be going through his growth spurt. Hooray, Kit! ^_^  
Luv,  
- MKD 


	3. Plan A

Wow, time for another chapter of Close Wizardry again. More info on whirling disease (the real goods this time!), and more N/K fluff for all you folks like me. I wonder how long I can hold out on getting these two together. I wonder how long you all will let me!  
At any rate, I'm having so much fun writing this, so I hope ya'll are enjoying it. Let me know! Review! ^_^ I want another 15 (or more!) before I post again.  
  
standard boring, old, but required disclaimer I don't own any characters or general plot setup portrayed in this story, Diane Duane does, and I'm very, very envious/proud of her. I wouldn't dream of trying to make money off of this, and this is done solely for the sanity of her waiting fans. So please, please, be kind and rewind? Erm... wait... /disclaimer

And by the way, in case you didn't know (I was startled to realize I'd never even searched for this before), there IS an official Young Wizards site, at www.youngwizards.net, I believe, and the best part it that Diane Duane's weblog is on there. Crazy. She's hilarious. So go there!

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"Morning," Nita called, stepping through the screen door from the back of Kit's house. Carmela, Kit's younger and Japan-obsessed sister, greeted her in the kitchen, stirring something in a skillet with extremely long chopsticks. "Are those supposed to be like that? They look lethal," Nita commented.   
Carmela took off her headphones briefly. "They're cooking chopsticks. They're supposed to be long like this. So you can use them faster. Kit'll be down in a sec." And with that, she put the headphones back on and continued dancing/cooking to her Japanese pop, or whatever was making such a racket.  
Nita sat down at the table to wait, taking out her spiral notebook.   
Thumpa thumpa thumpa thumpa thumpa WHAM!  
Ponch, Kit's overenthusiastic dog, had slammed straight into the kitchen wall, due to a lack of traction. He clambered over to lay his head on Nita's lap, tongue lolling out comically as he said, _Nita! Did you bring snacks?_ Ponch was _always_ looking for his next meal.  
Nita laughed at him. "You're going to get fat, you know." She passed him a doggie treat under the table.  
_Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!_ Ponch yelped as he wolfed down the treat with glee.  
"No problem."  
"Morning, Neets!" Kit said from the doorway. After a night of mentally bolstering his courage, he was ready to try and take things with Nita to the next level--whether she liked it or not. He planned to be discreet enough that he could still keep things "friendly", while still leaning toward "more than friendly". Which meant it was time to put Plan A into action.  
Nita gasped a little as Kit affectionately kiss her head before sitting down. He smiled sunnily, pulling the notebook over to him. "Feeling better after yesterday?"  
She sputtered a bit before answering. "Y-yes...?"  
He grinned. "You sure? That sounded more like a question..."  
"I'm sure," she said firmly. _What in the name of the Powers was _that_?! That was... just friendly. Powers, that was more and yet... not. So now what do I do? _Well... but what choice did she have? She was just going to have to sit and act normal. And ignore the way her heart was racing.  
"Good."  
_God, he has a great smile..._ Nita shook her head. _Stop that! He's your best _friend_, for God's sake. Pull yourself together. This is no time...  
_ Kit looked up. "Hey, are you alright?"  
_Of course not._ "Yeah! Never better."  
Kit frowned, but kept on scanning the notebook. Then Carmela put breakfast on the table.  
Nita clamped her mouth shut before she could say "Ewwww...", but just barely. On her plate was something slightly resembling another something that had might have been eaten once by something almost alive. In other words, it wasn't entirely appetizing. Nita glanced tentatively over at Kit, who remained impassive. She sent him a thought. _Um...?  
_ _I agree.  
_ She smiled, accepted her chopsticks from Carmela, and started in--  
"Wait!" Carmela exclaimed, snatching back the chopsticks. "Before you start, it's Japanese tradition to say, 'itadakimasu', which means, 'now we shall partake'."  
Kit opened his mouth to say something.  
"Pleeeaaase?" Carmela begged. "C'mon, it's my first time doing this. It has to be authentic."  
"It's not your first time," Kit pointed out. "Mom and Dad ate some earlier."  
Carmela threw him a dirty look, and muttered out the side of her mouth, "Shut up, Kit."  
"Ita... daki... masu?" Nita ventured.  
Carmela beamed. 

  
"Gochisousama!"  
"That was great! That means, 'it was a good feast'," Carmela said, clearing their plates.  
Kit smiled. "Thanks, 'Mela, it was great."  
Carmela just grinned. "Thanks for being my guinea pigs. I know it doesn't look all that good, but looks aren't everything."  
"Tell me about it," Nita sighed, thinking of Ricky and his gang of "hotties".  
Kit grabbed Nita's hand suddenly, dragging her upstairs.  
"Kit! What was that abo--"  
Kit silenced her with a finger against her lips. "We have work to do," he said softly, looking into her eyes. _What the _hell_ am I doing? She can't seriously be buying this.  
_ Nita blushed hotly, eyes wide. _He's not going to... _She swallowed, nervous. _He wouldn't... would he? No way. But... why not? Argh! Stop it, Nita! _she scolded.  
Kit watched her with wide eyes. _She really _is_ buying this! Oh, this is _too _good! But better not play with her too much. _"Uh, like, for instance, our spell?"  
Nita went redder. _I don't believe this. I'm totally overreacting to nothing. _"Sure thing." She turned to a new page in her notebook. "But what do we know about this whole thing?"  
"Well," Kit started, grabbing some papers from beside his computer, "I did some research last night on the internet. Whirling disease is caused by the parasite Myxobolus cerebralis. It gets into the fingerling trout's head and spinal cartilage before it's grown into bone and multiplies, pressuring the brain and equilibrium."  
"Like a brain tumor," Nita commented quietly. _Like mom.  
_ "Uh... yeah," Kit said, shifting uncomfortably. "That's what causes them to swim in circles. Some fish survive, but have spinal deformities. Anyway, it doesn't spread hereditarily, which is a relief."  
"So we just have to convince it to stop. Like mom's viruses."  
"Not quite," Kit said. "You forgot about the worms. These parasites are hard to get rid of. When the infected fish die, thousands, maybe millions of spores are released into the water. The spores can survive freezing and desiccation, and can lie dormant in a stream for up to thirty years. By that time, they've been ingested by their other host, the tubifex worms, and then they grow into the form that infests the fish fry. They leave the worms behind, which are unaffected as far as I can tell, go into the water and latch on to any passing fish to start the whole thing over again."  
Nita whistled. "Vicious cycle."  
"No kidding," Kit agreed. "At any rate, we have a number of options to solve this sucker. And I found out that our lovely little spell won't work."  
"Spells always work. Just not necessarily in this scenario," Nita replied, sucking on the end of her pen.  
"What's worse is that Chinook salmon are quite susceptible to Whirling disease. They're already not faring so well."  
"Mmph. Thanks a lot, by the way, for doing all of this. I got half of that assignment tackled last night, I am proud to say," Nita smiled.  
Kit winked, "Well, I didn't do _everything_ last night. I did some of it before I came down for breakfast."  
"I wondered why you took so long." Nita flipped through her notebook, looking at the now-useless spell. "Suppose we can use this for something else. The Powers never waste work. So what can we do about this nasty thing?"  
"Well, I didn't really find out a whole lot... but for one thing, the amount of spores is severely lessened in faster running streams. So we might just convince the streams to move it along a bit faster for a week or two. Also, the tubifex worms can't move up hardened stream beds. If we harden the sediment at certain intervals, we could stop it moving upstream and infecting pure streams. They were doing that at the hatchery in Kamas, keeping all their pens lined with concrete. And I heard about this one hatchery in Colorado that was experimenting with ultraviolet light killing off the spores."  
"So we'd flash all of the streams in Utah? Is there even a spell for that?"  
"Um... well, we'd have to do all three things, I guess. And even then we wouldn't catch all of it. Birds and uninformed fisherman and animals spread the spores, too."  
"Wait a sec..." Nita mused. "What form are the spores in when they affect the fish? They go through the water, right?"  
Kit gaped at her. "Oh my God."  
Nita nodded, grinning. "It _will_ work. We just have to modify it a bit to include the sediment as well, and to catch those little suckers as spores, and as their later form."  
Kit slapped his forehead. "I really am losing my touch."  
"No you aren't." She said seriously. "You're just no match for _me_."  
Kit raised an eyebrow. "Oh _really_?" He caught Nita in the face with a pillow. "Direct hit!"  
Nita tackled him, smothering him with another pillow. "Surrender!"  
"Meeph!" Kit protested, muffled. "Frumpon!" (AN: translation - "Neets! Come on!")  
Nita lifted the pillow. "I'm sorry, what was that?"  
"You're mine!" Kit cried in triumph, flipping Nita and pinning her with his body.   
Nita squirmed for a moment before finally giving up. "Wow. You're getting stronger."  
"I've been working out."  
"When do you find time?" Nita asked, trying (without success) to shove Kit off her, and struggling (also without success) to ignore her pounding heart.  
"You remember those alternate universes I told you about? The ones Ponch found? We made a gym." He stubbornly refused to budge.  
"Why don't I ever get to see those?" Nita wondered, slightly hurt.  
Kit grinned. "It's a surprise."  
"So is this." She slipped her leg around Kit's, pulling it down and tossing him over her hip. Now she was in control, pinning _him_.  
Kit shivered, trying to make his stomach stop its freefall. "True."  
_Should I kiss him? Should I... no... friendship. Friendship is the most important. _Nita helped her partner to his feet. "Let's fix this spell and get out of here." _And besides, he can't possibly like _me_._  
"Sure thing." _Looks like it might be time for plan B._ He grabbed his manual. "Where were we?" 

----------------------------  
  
Thanks to the Whirling Disease Foundation, and Colorado and Montana's respective wildlife foundations. For more information on whirling disease, check out http://www.whirling-disease.org and http://www.whirlingdisease.org .   


Okay, no, seriously, I PROMISE there is a plot. I just gave you guys some fluff for now, but the next chapter has LOTS of plot. Loads of it. Like, pouring out your ears plot. (with still some fluff for those like me...) But I'm still trying to work out where I'm going with this. Hmmm... any suggestions? 

15 MORE REVIEWS before I post again. I mean it. 

3,  
- MKD 8.31 


	4. Excuses

Hey again. Updates and tidbits at the bottom. ^_^V Thanks for reading!  
  
At any rate, here comes the *gasp* PLOT! (In actuality, it's been here all along. BWAHA!)

Enjoy. I want 20 more reviews (even if from the same ol' people) before I update again, pretty please? (That's a total of 65)  
  
disclaimer-time! I don't own any of the characters portrayed in this story, those and part of the overall plot belong to the beloved Diane Duane and Harcourt publishing, as I understand it. I do this out of love for her work, and as it is non-profit and for sole enjoyment of her fans, I ask that you don't go vindictive on my butt and sue me into the next existence. Thankies! /disclaimer  
  
------------------------------  
  
"Okay," Nita sighed at last. "Shall we try it?"  
"Yeah," Kit said after checking the variables one last time. "I think we're ready. It's getting easier to do this, don't you think? Though the problems are getting more complex."  
"Carl and Tom said we'd find our 'groove' eventually," Nita agreed, pulling out her rowan wand.   
Kit pulled out the old rusty TV antenna he always used for his wand. While Nita's specialty was anything growing and especially green, Kit's happened to be in all things mechanical. Of course, Nita had changed her wand out a couple times as its energy was sapped, but Kit's held up under the elements, with occasional plugs of power.   
With a quick look at each other, they began to spell, drawing out their diagrams on the grassy bank of the Provo River, near Kamas, Utah. Stringing out long sets of syllables in the Speech, they started in on the basic overview of the spell before going in to detail the specific components, matching each others pace perfectly, a result of their longtime wizarding partnership.   
Kit came briefly out of his trance to glance at Nita. _She's so beautiful._ Suddenly, he found himself stumbling over the syllables as his heart spasmed.  
Nita slowed, waiting for Kit to catch up, ignoring the sick feeling in her stomach. _Probably shouldn't have eaten so much of Carmela's... whatever-it-was._ She held a hand out to her partner. _C'mon, Kit. Relax, _she sent to him, though she was far from relaxed herself as their hands touched.  
_Sorry,_ Kit muttered mentally, picking up in the spell where Nita had leisurely continued.  
Finally, they came to the final wizard's knot tying the spell off and setting it to work. He took Nita's other hand in his, and spoke with her the final touches. "So mote it be!"  
The spell, the diagrams, the entire stream flared to light briefly, a signal that the spell had taken. It hadn't been difficult convincing the stream to go along with the spell--the Provo, all of the rivers of Utah and the mid-United States, in fact... they were all worried about their wild fish populations, and willing to do something about it.  
"Wait till the fisherman and researchers see this!" Nita grinned, the adrenaline from the spell still pulsing through her veins as she "felt" the death in the stream receeding, slowly but surely.  
Kit still hadn't let go of her hands. "They'll be either ecstatic, or completely confused."  
"Probably both," Nita said, blushing. She abruptly doubled over with pain.  
"Neets?" Kit asked, unsure. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"  
"I'm not sure," Nita panted, biting her lip at the pain shooting through her stomach like nails. "Hurts," she choked, falling to her knees.  
"Neets!" Kit cried, catching her arms to steady her. "We need to get you home."  
"I wouldn't suggest it," a voice said quietly.  
Kit spun around. "You!"  
The Lone Power stepped softly through the grass toward the pair. "You've ruined yet another lovely plan, children." He knelt beside Kit and Nita, brushing back the girl's hair almost tenderly. "And now, if you move her, how do you know you won't be giving her to me sooner than expected?"  
Kit dragged Nita backwards, finding his partner completely unconscious. "Get away from her," he growled, with more bravery than he felt just now.  
The Lone Power held up his hands, offended. "You think I did this?"  
"Didn't you?" Kit queried, pulling Nita closer. _Please, Neets, you have to wake up. I need you...  
_ "Of course not," the Lone One replied, standing and brushing off his jeans. Kit was surprised not only by his answer, but by his form: that of the man he and Nita had first seen during their Ordeal, but instead of a business suit wearing jeans, a Grateful Dead T-shirt and hightops.  
_Hightops? That's it. I'm burning mine._ "Well, then, how do you know moving her will complicate whatever she has?"  
"I don't," the Lone One admitted, further startling Kit. "But I am merely making a suggestion."  
"Of course," Kit said skeptically. "Well, I'm just going to have to chance it. And if we see you again, it'll be too soon."  
"Who knows," he answered, smiling, though it never reached his eyes.  
_He seems so much more different this time. Stranger, almost helpful. Well, I know what his help means. _Kit shivered, and grabbed his necklace, pulling on the bead that would take them to Nita's house.   
  
  
Nita came to just outside her home, shaking her head and waking to find herself in Kit's lap. She blushed furiously, wincing at the soreness in her stomach. "What happened?"  
Kit's eyes held more than a little fear in them as he hugged her fiercely. "You suddenly collapsed, screaming, and..." _Should I tell her? Do I really need to worry her? _He looked at her questioning face. _But miscommunication is what got us into the _last _mess. _"The Lone One showed up."  
"_What?_" Nita hissed, gripping Kit's arm a little more tightly than she'd intended. "_Why?_"  
Kit shook his head. "I'm not sure. He told me not to move you in case... I think in case you died. And commented on us screwing another of his precious plans, and then denied having anything to do with whatever it is that caused you such pain. And I said 'if we see you again, it'll be too soon', and he said 'who knows', and he was dressed in jeans and hightops."  
"Hightops?" Nita repeated, staring at him like he'd grown an extra head.  
"I swear it," Kit replied, standing and helping her up. "Are you okay now? You had me scared to death."  
Nita blushed. "Um... I think I know what it was. I need to go talk to my mom for a sec, though."  
"Sure," Kit said worriedly, and watched her go inside. _Powers, please let her be okay. It can't be something like cancer, it just _can't_. Powers, don't take her from me... not before I've gotten to say my piece...  
_ Nita came out a half-hour later with a hot water bottle pressed against her stomach. "I'm fine."  
"What _was_ it, Neets?" Kit asked anxiously, following her toward the Rowan tree spanning her backyard and into its branches.  
"It was..." she blushed hotly again. "Well..."  
"Nita, you're driving me insane!" Kit wailed, fear and irritation battling across his worried mind.  
"It was my period, okay?!" Nita blurted. "Mom got really bad cramps when she was a kid, and that's what it was."  
Kit had the grace to blush. "You passed out, though," he pointed out, turning his back to her to hide his embarrassment.  
"Yeah, well... Maybe it has something to do with spellworking during... yeah."  
Kit stared hard at the leaves in front of him making their way lazily to Liused's leaf pattern below. "I'm sorry. I'll..." He hopped down from the tree. "God, I feel stupid now."  
"Why?" Nita asked, joining him. "You had no way of knowing, really."  
"Carmela's never passed out like that. I though you were going to die..." that word threatened to suffocate him. "If I lost you... I don't know what I'd do."  
Nita blushed further, unable to speak.  
_It's getting harder to do wizardry with her, _Kit realized. _I keep worrying about her feelings, about my feelings for her... just like this last time. How many times has that happened? It's dangerous, not being able to work with your partner fully. I feel like I'm holding back._ "I have to go," he muttered, walking off, not bothering to use a spell.   
_Should I follow him?_ Nita wondered, indecision making her sick inside, in addition to the stomach pains threatening to come back. She chased after him at last. "Kit, wait." As she grew level with him, she couldn't help noticing the hunted look that still hadn't left his eyes. "Mom's going to take me to the doctor, just in case."  
Kit looked startled. "Ew... doesn't that mean..."  
"Yeah. My first gynecologist appointment. Not fun."  
"My sympathies." Kit flashed her a quick smile he didn't quite feel, then turned on his heel and stomped off toward home.  
  
~ 

"Oh, honestly," Nita muttered, rubbing her stomach absently as she watched him leave. "Why now?" _Things were just getting good..._  
Dairine tromped down the steps, letting the screen door slam behind her with a BANG. Nita ached for that bang to be accompanied by a small moan and something surprising, and a floating ball of light...  
"Hm. Kit leave already?" Dairine was rifling around in Liused's leaf pattern.  
"Hey! Dair', you can't do that! You're messing up the entire process!" Nita rushed forward to grab her sister.  
Dairine simply side-stepped Nita, who almost went crashing into the leaf pattern herself. "I need them for a spell."  
"What kind of spell? It can't require you to destroy Liused's hard work!" Nita immediately sent a wave of profound apology to her long-time botanical friend.  
Dairine shrugged. "That's none of your business. Now hasn't Kit asked you out yet? I figured that's what was making you so huffy." She scooped up more leaves.  
"_Dair'_," Nita growled, pushing her sister as far from the pattern as possible in their yard. "You of all people should know that Kit and I are just _friends_. Partners. Comprendé?"  
"Well, at any rate, you might want to check your status in the manual. Something _very _interesting, I must say," Dairine responded loftily, cradling her leaves to her chest and sneering as she effortlessly evaporated.  
"Show off," Nita muttered, wishing for that kind of power again, and flicked her hand into her claudication, yanking out her manual and flipping to the section in the back, where wizard statistics were displayed. 

CALLAHAN, Juanita L.  
243 E. Clinton Avenue  
Hempsted, NY 11575  
(516) 555-6786  
power rating: 7.02 +/- .5  
status: active  
assignment: subject classification withheld, in partnership (see RODRIGEZ, Christopher)  
period: indeterminate 

Nita stared. That last time her assignment classification had been "withheld", she'd been on a quest to save her mother from the tumor taking over her brain. Classification being withheld did not bode well at all. But at least this time she wasn't alone. However, the assignment indicator had never actually said "in partnership" before, let alone with whom. Nita sent a tentative tendril of thought to Kit. _Kit?  
_ Embarrasedly, _Here.  
_ _Take a look in the manual. At my status. Yours, too.  
_ A long pause, then sudden surprise. Kit paused again as Nita shifted anxiously, shivering in the sudden wind. Finally, Kit said hurriedly, _I'll be right over.  
_ The roiling feeling in Nita's stomach was back even as Kit appeared at her side. "Looks like we owe Carl and Tom a visit."  
Then the rain began to fall.  
  
---------------------------------  
Heheh. Not as much of a cliffhanger as I was GOING to do, but I felt a bit bad about my plans. Anyway, yeah, that's the introduction of some of the plot, so watch out! I'll try not to let this get too scary/angsty etc., cause that's just silliness. But expect some fun and some frolic and some tragedy and some closure for all you fluffers.  
  
Thanks SO much for reviewing! I'm looking for another 20 before I post again, somewhere around 65 reviews. If anyone wants to get in contact with me, I'd love to chitchat or whatever. My AIM name is: cerenacat.  
  
And, just for GinnyWPotter... It's the tidbits!  
  
Nita: *looking a bit skeptical in her swimsuit, shifts* Um...  
Kit: *walking in, in trunks* Why...?  
Kenz: No! SHHHH! You'll ruin the suspense!!!!!  
Kit: *stare*  
Nita: *stare* Erm...  
Kit: Hey, Director-Chick... could you explain why we're doing this?  
Kenz: *off in her own world* For my wonderful wonderful FANS! They LIKE me! They really LIKE me!!  
Nita: Wrong. They like _us_.  
Kenz: *glares and summons Authorly power*  
Kit: *clamps a hand over Nita's mouth*  
Kenz: *points* Get in. NOW.  
Nita and Kit: *obediently get in the gigantic bowl of lime jello*  
Kenz: Now... um... eat yer way out.  
Nita: *drowning*  
Kit: *gagging*  
Kenz: *sweatdrop* Ahem... that's okay! We'll just do a sidestory on Ronan till they recover! Heheheh... heh... hehhh...  
  
So yeah, expect illustrations next round. Woot! And thanks to LoudMouthJoey for putting me in his favorite stories section! See ya' in a few!  
  
3,  
- MKD 9.5.02 


	5. Catharsis

^_^V It's me again!

I am SOOOO sorry for the delay! I'm not even going to make excuses. I'm SORRY. Here. And there's more THIS WEEKEND. Promise. So the chapters a tiny bit shorter than usual, but it's setting up for the next one, with lots of plot. *hugs everyone* Thank you SO much for all your support and reviews! More notes at the bottom!

And I'm updating whether or not I get more reviews, so no worries, but if you want some fanart to go along with the update, I'd like 20 more reviews! Thanks! *hug!!*

------------------------------

------------------------------

Nita shivered slightly in the rain as she popped into existence in Tom and Carl's backyard. The two Senior wizards must be used to this by now, Nita noted, as the rest of the wizards she knew actually transported into the _house_. Somehow, that didn't seem polite, though. So as Kit materialized beside her, she tromped up to the back door, opening the screen, and knocking firmly.

Carl opened the door, his Police Department shirt contrasting vividly with the Hawaiian-colored flip-flops he had on. "What going on? Why are you walking around in the rain?" He let them in quickly, rooting around in the kitchen for mugs while they told him about the manual entry, and their run-in with the Lone Power.  
  
"Huh," Carl murmured, as he poured hot chocolate for them both. "I don't know."  
  
The two of them stared blankly at him. Nita was the first to speak. "You don't... know? But how could you not know? That's what Senior wizards are _for_, right?"

Tom shrugged, coming in and sitting at the table with them. "Not exactly. If you've ever tried _being_ a Senior, you'll find that training is on the job. What have we got now?"

Carl pointed to his version of the manual, looking like a very large edition of War and Peace, and to the entry Nita and Kit were worried about. "What can you make of it?"

Tom looked startled. "It's changing."

"What?" Nita, Carl and Kit said in unison. They peered over the table at the manual, which was indeed blurring underneath Nita's name, fuzzing out and back in until the words were visible again.

CALLAHAN, Juanita L.  
243 E. Clinton Avenue  
Hempsted, NY 11575  
(516) 555-6786  
power rating: 20.33 +/- .7  
status: conditional active  
assignment: subject classification withheld, in partnership (see RODRIGUEZ, Christopher)  
period: to be terminated at 12/25/03, regardless of completion

Nita put a hand over her mouth at the power rating alone. "How on _earth_?!"

Carl whistled softly. "I've never seen anything like that. Ever. People's power levels don't just spike like that..."  
  
"It's changed since this morning," Kit stared, too. "That's more power than even Dairine ever had! And we've been at this long enough that our levels have definitely dropped, and possibly stabilized, too." He then read the rest of the listing. _Christmas...?_

"That kind of power rating only comes during Ordeals, and aren't ever anywhere near that particular level even then." He shifted slightly, knuckles ash white where they gripped the edge of the table. "And it appears that this isn't negotiable, either. It sounds more than a little like an ultimatum."

Nita groaned. "Can't we just have one _normal_ day? That's all I ask..."

Kit patted her hand gently. "Not till Timeheart, apparently, Neets."

Carl and Tom threw each other a look that neither Kit nor Nita could catch. "So, uh... you two getting on okay, then? Outside of wizardry?" Carl asked carefully.

Nita looked up, surprised at this new angle of attack. "Erm... yeah, I guess so. Kit?" She staved off a blush as she thought, _As well as we could be given the romantic tension rising between us..._

Kit twirled his necklace around a finger. "Sure." _Whoops... that probably wasn't very convincing..._ he cleared his throat--"Good as ever."--and smiled faintly.

Carl and Tom exchanged yet another look. Tom vocalized it this time. "Kit, you remember what Tom and I said about keeping the relationship healthy in and outside wizardry, right?"

Kit nodded, worried. 

"Well... maybe this is what the powers have in mind."

_The Powers That Be are playing matchmaker?_, Kit thought for one wild moment. He shook his head. "Erm... I guess we'll just have to find out what we're supposed to be doing the hard way, eh?" He chuckled nervously, fingering his wand through his claudication under the table. He stood abruptly.

Carl got up as well, and dragged Kit bodily into the next room, much to his alarm. He smiled kindly at Kit. "You're in love with her."

Kit blushed hotly, in between calming his racing heart. For Carl to just drag him in here was one thing, but... "What are you talking about? We're just friends. Partners."

Carl looked down at him skeptically. "I'm your Senior, and besides that, I've known you for years now. I know you better than that, Kit."

But Kit stood his ground. "I don't know what you're talking about." 

"I think you do, _Christoph--_" 

"Okay, okay!" Kit cried in defeat, wincing at the sound of his given name. "You win. Yes, I'm in love with her, I guess. Is it really that obvious?" 

Carl's eyes looked triumphant, but as though he was hiding something, too. So Kit sighed and leaned against the nearby wall. "There's nothing I can do, anyway. Something'll happen eventually, and our partnership will fall to pieces." He rubbed his neck, easing out the tension created by the stress of being unable to acknowledge that which he needed most in his life. 

-------------- 

Nita blushed furiously. "No way I'm going to say that!" 

"Isn't it true?" Tom wheedled. 

"That's... that's beside the point!" Nita spluttered indignantly. 

"So it _is_ true." 

"..." 

Tom put his arm around the young wizard. "What are you so afraid of?" he asked, trying to catch her eye. 

She avoided his gaze. "It'll ruin everything, if it doesn't work out," she murmured, suddenly despairing at even the idea that her partnership with Kit might be terminated. "I can learn to live with being his friend." 

Tom bit his lip, returning his hands to clasp nervously in his lap. "Nita, Carl and I have been partners for almost twelve years now, and we've had some pretty rough times. But the nature of wizardry forms a deeper bond in partners, too deep to be overcome by such troubles. You've been inside each other enough to know that." 

"Not recently," Nita sighed. "We're both awkward, now. It's messing with our spellwork." 

"Then get this resolved as quickly as possible," Tom warned. "Before you have to do a _major_ spell." 

Nita began to ask Tom about solutions, but Kit and Carl returned just then, Carl giving Tom a funny nod on his way in. "Well, then," Tom said, shifting to make room for Kit beside Nita purposefully, "let's just see about this new assignment, shall we?" He flipped open his manual again. "It seems to me as though we're playing the waiting game at the moment. It seems as though something's coming to a head between the Powers. You said the Lone One seemed... different?" 

Kit nodded. "Tired, sort of." 

"Maybe he's just worn out by the centuries of fighting?" Nita asked doubtfully. 

"Fat chance. Remember our Ordeal? He seemed pretty chipper. I think he's just taking a different approach." Kit mused. 

"Probably," Carl agreed. "That's what wizardry is about, these days. Figuring him out and trying to keep the damage from mounting up. But he's always one step ahead." 

"Kit," Nita said quietly. "Why are They giving us so much power? What on earth could They be planning? You know They only choose those who are suited... Why us?" 

Kit shook his head. "No idea, Neets." 

Tom closed his manual softly. "I'm guessing you'll just have to cool your heels for a bit. You've got months before the termination date. I'm pretty sure something will happen... They'll send you a sign of some sort. Remember your Ordeal. Fred?" 

Nita and Kit both winced. 

---------------------------------------- 

"Mom," Nita called, dropping off her bag at the front door. "We're back!" 

Dairine came calmly down the stairs, munching on a carrot, nose buries in print-outs of some sort. "She went to the store. Fend for yourselves on dinner," she muttered, her laptop version of the Manual trundling down the stairs after her on spindly legs. 

Kit rolled his eyes. "My specialty is supposed to be mechanics... but I don't think I'll ever figure that thing out." 

"You aren't supposed to, nitwit," Dairine said tartly, reappearing briefly around the doorframe of the kitchen to give Kit another eternally patronizing look. "Your shoelaces are untied, by the way." 

Kit sighed as Nita laughed, and bent down to tie them. "She got you," Nita commented brightly, leaning idly against the banister. She was suddenly caught off guard. _Ooch! That is a NICE piece of..._ she blushed hotly, catching herself before she could finish her dangerous thought. If Kit overheard her... 

But apparently he hadn't, as he stood up, cuffed her on the arm, and dashed into the kitchen. "Hungry!" 

"Ow, Kit!" Nita yelled after him plaintively. "Jeez, Kit! We just had sandwiches over at Tom and Carl's! Where are you putting it all?" 

"I'm a growing boy," Kit shrugged, rooting around in her fridge. "Mmmmm... leftover pizza!" He popped a slice on a plate and into the microwave. "Better for breakfast, but what'cha gonna do?" 

Nita made a face. "Gross, Kit. Totally gross. I swear, if I didn't know better I'd think you were hiding Ponch in your claudication, and that _he's_ the one eating all of this." 

Kit raised a brow. "Not a bad idea.... not a bad idea at all..." 

"Don't you _dare_, Kit!" 

-THUMP!- 

Nita opened her eyes slowly, gripping Kit's arms hard. "Kit, of all the--" 

"It wasn't me," he whispered, staring wide eyed into Nita's face, tightening his arms around her. "I swear, Neets, it wasn't me!" 

Nita could only believe him, because at that moment, the llama in her living room took up most of her attention as it began to sing. 

---------------------------- 

---------------------------- 

Okay! That's it for another update! Yes, the llama is in fact a vital part of the plot, and is NOT just randomness! It just takes a while to get there. I'll leave it to you. Just be glad it wasn't a narcoleptic Argentinian or something. 

*smile* So, updates possibly tomorrow or Monday. Happy St. Valentine's to everyone!!! Sorry this took so long! 

I updated my site, by the way, if anyone cares: http://www.cerenacat.com 

3 always! 

- MKD 2.15.03 


	6. This Hard Bondage

I have no excuse. None. I lost interest in most of the new Young Wizards books, as the storyline just wasn't quite as captivating as _A Wizard's Dillemma_... the magic just seems paler now. At any rate, I'm starting up my Harry Potter fanfic at last, and I figured that I owe it to everyone who has read and reviewed this story in the last year to finish it as well. About half of this chapter is written a year ago, and half is new. So I think I know where I'm going, once again, at last.

My only problem is that I'm away at college, so I don't have my books with me. Luckily, my boyfriend owns a set (I think!), and I'll pilfer his when I see him next. So I should be back on track now. That's why I couldn't remember our willow friend's name. Sorry! I've been working really hard throughout this fic to make references to the books and keep as accurate as I can while still developing my own storyline... but it's hard to do without the books. Haven't read them in a couple years. I'm a bad authoress. Let's just leave it there.

In case any of you are interested in any of the writing or art I've been wasting my time on the last year and a half, my deviantart site is at http colonslashslash>cerena dot>deviantart dot>com. If you have any questions, comments, flames or beta-offers, my e-mail is cerenacat at>gmail dot>com. Any other way to write links in these? Grrr. Lots of Love, and I promise I really will post again soon with a nice lovely long chapter. This is just a short one to let you know that I'm actually still alive.

Love and sincerest apologies, if anyone even still wants to read this! - Ceri

standard disclaimer> I think it's prettymuch a given that I didn't come up with Nita, Kit, or their world. But Fausta's mine. /standard disclaimer>

Chapter 6 - This Hard Bondage...

"_Quella barbara catena! Che fa strazio del mio core..._"

"Um, excuse me..." Nita started, trying to make sense of the fact that a llama had appeared in her living room, then walked into her kitchen, singing in a very breathy treble, in _Italian_, no less.

"_Io diro che non da pena, io diro che non da pena, maun so ave e bel piacer!_"

"Excuse me!" Nita yelled, finally getting the llama's attention. "Can I help you with something?" _Is there a particular _reason _you're here in my kitchen, serenading me? _But for politeness sake...

"What was that you were singing? Could you translate? English?" Kit asked, highly intrigued and not perturbed in the slightest at the spectacle.

"Kit," Nita hissed. _The more important question is why it's here, and how to get it _out_ before Mom gets home! She's go enough stress to deal with already. Entertaining a llama won't help._

_It sounds more like it'd be entertaining us, _Kit mused to her, laughing in his head, and got a metal kick from Nita.

The llama inclined its head gracefully, staring amusedly at them from dark brown eyes through long thick lashes. "_Salve! Come sta? Mi chiamo Fausta. Può aiutarmi?_" She murmured in a rather low voice, startling in contrast to the soprano aria that had previously been ringing through the kitchen. "_Finalmente, sono molto lieto di incontrarla!_" She flounced over the the counter and began to sniff at a bowl of fruit warily, her shaggy coat shifting through many browns and golds under the light. "_Mi scusi il ritardo, il mio volo è arrivato in ritardo._" She looked up abruptly, and Kit was very aware that he had been impolite not to say anything as she rambled on. "_Che cosa c'è?_"

Carefully, Nita spoke in the Speech. "We do not speak Italian very well. Could you repeat in the Speech? Or English?"

The llama gave a sheepish look, and began again in halting English. "I'm very sorryI just assume... I merely say hello and ask how you are, and if you can help me? My name is Fausta. I am very happy to be meeting you at last. I'm am sorry to be late, my flight is delayed." She dropped her head in an unmistakable bow. "Is that more good?"

Nita smiled in a relieved sort of way. "Much, thank you. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Nita Callahan, and this is my partner, Kit Rodriguez. We're on errantry, and we greet you. How can we help you?"

"Mmm," Fausta murmured, making a 'tch'ing sort of noise, "It is difficult. The problem is not full known to me. But I will try to explain you." She nipped an apple from the bowl, and folding her legs beneath her, began her story.

"I am the third child of the second son of the god of the Hillgrazers, my people. As a descended, I have duty of weaving the next piece of the Tapestry of the World. But this piece must define a world-altering event. I prayed to my ancestors, and they tell me to seek out the Power called Lillithen. But I do not know where I am finding Lillithen. Ancestor told me Kit and Nita could help me. So I am here."

Nita shot Kit an uneasy look. "So we're dealing with the Powers indirectly?"

Kit nodded. "Do you have any idea where we should start?"

Fausta almost danced, her hooves clicking across the linoleum. "In New York City!" she chimed. "My Gatekeeper sent me to here."

Nita groaned with Kit. "That really narrows it down!"

Kit began to pace. "Is there anything we should know about Lillithen? Anything special?" _We know where the Transcendent Pig lives, so if they're the same, then..._

Fausta cocked her head to the side. "She is the Power of History. She attracted to maps of historical things? I know only she is in New York right this moment."

"Maps of History..." Nita whispered. Then, suddenly... "_Kit! _The subway!"

"That's right!", Kit said quickly, taking the thought three steps further. "We should start at Grand Central, and branch out to the other stations from there. Those murals on the ceilings depict the history of New York. There might be _something_ important..."

"It's worth a shot!" Nita hurried to grab her backpack from the counter. "Wait! How are we going to get a llama downtown? Maybe it'd be better if Fausta waited somewhere else... like Tom and Carl's."

Kit nodded, and bowed low to Fausta. "My lady, we'll take you to our Seniors' house, then check the subway systems for any sign of Lillithen. The subway stations in New York have tiled roofs, with murals about our city's history. It seems like a logical place to looksince they are a main means of transport..."

Fausta finished her apple delicately, then rose to her feet, inclining her head to the both of them. "Thank you both much for your help! I will wait at house for you."

Nita flicked off the lights and locked the door behind them while Kit set up a transport spell, asking Fausta to input her name, so as not to make a careless mistake. Nita sighed wearily, praying her mother wouldn't worry about the long amber and brown hairs covering her living room and kitchen floor.

Tom and Carl, though delighted at the company, were also dealing with one too many Ordeals, so Fausta entertained herself by puzzling out the koi in their backyard pond. She seemed to make better sense of the fish than of the wizards, perhaps because the haikus spouted by their gaping mouths were less cluttered with various parts of speech. Satisfied, Nita and Kit set off for the subway system.

Nita began in her backyard, snagging a new wand from the willow tree watching over the enclosure. She began pulling a transit spell out of her bracelet, but Kit beat her to it with his own. "You've worked fast on that thing," she commented, surprised.

"Don't want it to go to waste," he replied, grinning sheepishly. "I'm taking us someplace familiar."

Nita peered over his shoulder at the spell, quickly inserting her name into the arrangement, and _did_ notice something familiar...

Smiling to herself, she began to murmur in the Speech, at last matching and strengthening Kit's own words, the familiarity of the situation calming her nerves and recalling a time when her relationship with her wizarding partner was simpler, and kinder. But as she felt Kit's hand slide into hers, she was contentwith recalling the past, and with embracing the present for all she was worth. And she knew what she would see when she opened her eyes.

A/N: The song is an Italian aria I sang in competition my junior year of high school. Got a first place. At any rate, the song is basically along the lines of "This hard bondage can never keep me from loving you blah blah" if I remember correctly. The song title is Quella Barbaras Catena (This Hard Bondage), though, and is by Ciampi, in case anyone was interested.

No, I don't speak Italian. I speak Japanese. So this has been... an interesting character to write, to say the least. I look forward to some more fun with her.

I SWEAR I WILL NOT LEAVE IT FOR DEAD AGAIN. My boyfriend in particular is bitching at me to finish, and I've vowed that I can't post a chapter to my new fic until I post a chapter to my old, PER CHAPTER, so. This'll get done eventually. Or I'll never write fanfiction again.

I personally think I suck at it, so this might not be such a bad outcome. ;;;


	7. Author's Farewell

Hello, all.

This is MKD, and after years of deliberation and worry, I've made my final decision to go ahead and stop updating this story, and leave it unfinished. It was a very difficult decision, and I'm terribly sorry for leaving you all hanging about it for so long. Here are my reasons:

I'm not at all convinced of this pairing anymore. I don't like the direction Diane Duane is taking the story, and I particularly do NOT like the response she gave to the amount of fanfiction of her story. She made a very flippant comment about fanfiction, and doesn't approve of it at all apparently, and I just don't like her attitude about it. Please don't get me wrong, Ms. Duane is still one of my favourite authors, because of her personality, writing ability, and creativity. Her world is fantastic, and I love the premise of the magic system, the Speech, all of it. But I can't bring myself to read her newer books, because I just feel the series has taken a wrong turn and it doesn't ring true to me anymore, not because of events, but because I don't really recognize the Nita and Kit I fell in love with. I also hate Dairine unbearably, and can't really abide by the switch of focus onto her. I'm sure Diane knows her much better than I do, and perhaps there is something to Dairine I am missing, but I don't like her. Plain and simple. I don't respect her at all as a character. I respect characters with flaws, but it is the author's job to make me either like or strongly dislike the characters but still want to read. Well, I don't like Dairine, but I'm still not hooked like I would be to certain characters people "love to hate." I'm just not interested in her. I don't care to read about her. She's uninteresting, annoying, and I can't bring myself to give one wit about her welfare, good or bad. Kit and Nita are two different characters, and I'm not sure where the change happened, but what convinced me so much of these characters as passionate and engaging was their pairing, and they aren't really paired anymore. Kit has Ponch, Nita has her own demons and friends, and it's all very lukewarm—too much tension without any purpose behind the tension.

I don't like the series anymore. I don't. I see some of myself in Diane Duane, in her interests, in her portrayals of humanity. But I don't see any magic in her writing anymore, and it isn't because I'm growing out of it. If Patricia Wrede wrote something new, I'd snatch it up in a heartbeat, even though the story of Princess Cimorene is somewhat over. I want to see what Wrede will do. I'm not interested to see what Diane will do, because frankly, she has made me fall out of love with her stories and character. I'm sorry to be so brutally honest, but this is just what happened.

Now, why wouldn't I want to continue my fic and write it the way I would want it? Because that's not what fanfiction is for me. Fanfiction is a way for me to use my enchantment with someone else's characters and story to develop my OWN characters and stories with helpful guidelines that really allow me to expand my own creativity in neat ways. I'm disenchanted with Young Wizards. They aren't young anymore, they aren't interesting to me, and I've moved on, in the last year or so. There are other books that continue to amaze me that I'd rather be reading and thinking about. In addition, I spent this last year working on my novel for NaNoWriMo. So that was a nice exercise, and I'm working on developing my own writing so I can eventually give the gift to people that was given to me by Diane Duane, Patricia Wrede, Roald Dahl and the like, growing up. My goal is to be an author, and in the meantime I've got Anthropology and Biology majors and minors to worry about. smile

I will not be abandoning fanfiction by any means. I think it's a good outlet for me, to dream about characters I feel like I know, but who are not of my own creation. I will be continuing to write, I just will not be writing any Young Wizards fiction. It was a good start, but I lost touch with the characters when Diane left the path I was comfortable with. And that's Diane's right—they are first and foremost HERS. She needs to continue to grow and experiment, even as a published author. But I need to write about what I love, also. I do apologize for abandoning the story. I don't like doing that, ever, especially with the support you all have given me, over all these years. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the comments and help you all have given me. You all are really stellar, and you made my decision so hard! But I trust it, because you made me really think about what I wanted. Thanks, again.

I will be continuing my Harry Potter fic, Recalled to Life—I've done a lot of character development on it, mentally, and am ready to start focusing on it. I may or may not do something with Pirates of the Caribbean. I'd love to do an Inuyasha fic, but I feel as though I don't know enough about the most recent episodes of the manga to know what I'm doing. That's the problem when you stop reading graphic novels, I guess, but I can't afford them anymore! smile I will also be working on my novel, which is definitely more than PG-13, and which I may or may not post it somewhere—if you'd like to know about it, go ahead and drop me a line at my email address or on AIM (should all be in my profile). If you like my writing style, take a look at Recalled to Life, and trust me, my name will be a household one, soon.

Thank you, and please take care!

- McKenzie Duff


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